NAIROBI, Kenya – A Kenyan official says unknown gunmen have killed a prominent businessman, who was facing terrorism related charges.

The murder in the coastal city of Mombasa comes amid a string of killings nearby of people associated with Islamic extremism. Human rights activists are accusing the government of being behind the assassinations, since few have been resolved.

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Mombasa County police chief Richard Kitur said Saturday that two gunmen shot Mohamed Shahid Butt dead after their car blocked his vehicle. Kitur said the businessman had just picked up his son at the airport.

Butt was in court in last year over allegations by authorities of incitement and funding terror related activities. In the past two years, three other well-known Muslims, who have been publicly linked to extremism, have also been killed.